Civil rights leader William Barber stops at NCCU to encourage early voters    

Civil rights leader and Repairers of the Breach President Bishop William Barber led multiple marches to the polls across North Carolina on Thursday to mark the first day of early voting, which ends Oct. 31 at 3 p.m.

At North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham, Barber said the march was meant to inspire students and other voters and to remind them that the right to vote was not won by “staying quiet.”

“We marched for it. We fought for it, mobilized,” Barber said in an interview with reporters in front of the NCCU Law School where early voting was taking place.

In North Carolina, voters fought to hold on to same day voter registration and early voting, Barber said.

“Now that we’ve held onto the power, it’s no good if we don’t use it,” Barber said. “One of our mantras is, it’s time to get our power out of our pocket. Don’t hold on to it. Get it out of your pocket.”

Barber’s appearance in Durham was part of his national Love Forward Together voter mobilization initiative that’s designed to mobilize five million low-wage infrequent voters, particularly in the South and battleground states. He held a press conference in Raleigh before traveling to Durham. Stops in Wilson, Charlotte, Greenville and Winston Salem were also planned for Thursday. 

The campaign has organized 652 marches in 428 locations across the United States, according to Repairers of the Breach. It is expected to hold 1,000 such marches before the Nov. 3 election.

Barber arrived at NCCU ahead of dozens of marchers who rallied at St. Joseph AME Church. The marchers carried signs and chanted before gathering in front of the law school where Barber spoke with some of them individually but did not give a speech.  

Political candidates must tell voters what they are for and not just what they’re against, Barber said to reporters.

“Don’t just name the problem,” Barber said. “What are you for?” If people don’t have healthcare in the wealthiest country in the world, what are you for?”

Barber said “everything is on the ballot” including healthcare, fair funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and whether the parents of NCCU students and others will earn a living wage.

“Politicians who get elected determine all of those matters,” Barber said. “Politics is not benign. It affects your life. Your vote is not benign, because it determines who gets to affect your life.”

Barber noted that 90 million people didn’t vote in the 2024 presidential election, including five million African Americans.   

“You cannot have a democracy unless you have participation,” he said. 

Alana Byrd, a third year law student at NCCU, was on her way to class and to vote. Byrd said students must bring the same energy to voting that they brought to celebrate last week’s homecoming.

“We need all those people who were out here celebrating to come out and vote,” Byrd said. “If you come out and have a good time, you can come out and make a difference. Your voice matters now more than ever.”

Byrd said she is concerned about the economy and the current leadership in Washington.

“Everything is at stake,” Byrd said.

Ashley Marshall, co-founder of Forward Justice, a Durham-based organization that focuses on racial, social and economic justice, said it’s important for voters to push back against efforts to roll back voting rights by showing up at the polls.

Marshall said presidential elections get most of the attention, but the midterms and local elections often impact voters more. She said it’s important that people understand their right to vote and advocate for that right.

“These elections can completely change the tide and people’s living experiences and what they feel at the bottom line in their pockets,” Marshall said. “So, it’s really, really important for folks to turn out in the local elections and midterms just as they would in the presidential election.”

Raymond Smith said he hasn’t missed an opportunity to vote since 1969 out of respect for the people who “bled and died” for Black people’s right to vote.

“It’s important,” Smith said. “I have two kids. I make sure they go vote and my grandson [votes]. It makes a difference in your life. It may not make a difference today but it could tomorrow.”

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia) made an appearance at the Durham County Library on Thursday as part of a “barnstorming” tour across the South to rally voters.

“The path to a Senate majority runs right through the South,” Warnock said. “I’m the embodiment of that. I don’t think people saw Georgia coming a few years ago.”

In North Carolina, former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is facing Republican Michael Whatley in a Senate race that could help change the balance of power in the Senate.

Warnock said stopping the bleeding will be the first order of business if Democrats gain control of the House and Senate.  

“People are being crushed by these prices, which are connected directly to these tariff taxes that Donald Trump has placed on everything.”